LSU men’s basketball standout Tari Eason officially became a member of the Houston Rockets, getting drafted just outside of the lottery at No. 17. Eason made a tremendous impact on the LSU Tigers, contributing heavily to them earning the six-seed in the NCAA tournament in just his first season with the program.
Eason averaged 17 points, 6.6 rebounds, two steals and a block on 52% shooting from the field, 80% from the free throw line and 36% from three-point range.
He led the Tigers in multiple statistics despite not being a starter, including points per game, blocks and field goal percentage. He was also second on the team in rebounds, steals, free throw percentage and three point percentage.
Other than on-paper statistics, he has a lot of potential on the defensive end of the floor, having the height to guard bigger players in the post while also having an advantage in quickness and athleticism. Those qualities carry into his offense as well, especially in transition. This is where he was most dominant at LSU, using his size and athleticism to dominate in transition and getting to the basket.
Coming into the draft, he was touted as one of the best two-way players available. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets considered him as the best defensive player in the draft. This gives him a high ceiling in terms of development, as a player who is already capable on both ends of the floor. Though he is still raw in some areas, the potential he showed last season at LSU excited the Rockets along with many scouts.
His biggest weaknesses are in regards to his composure in close-game situations and his assist-to-turnover ratio. He can also be a streaky shooter at times. Those weaknesses can be corrected with growth in maturity and hard work, but that depends on his discipline.
He displayed a tremendous amount of progression during his sophomore season, sporting huge upticks in points per game, every shooting percentage and turnover rate. He’s just 21 years of age with two years of college basketball experience, so if he continues to develop at that rate, the sky’s the limit.
He joins an SEC-filled draft class for the Rockets, joined most notably by Jabari Smith Jr. and TyTy Washington. The dynamic between Eason and Smith will be an interesting one to follow as two of the best forwards in the SEC and entire country last season will join forces. Eason’s athleticism and defensive ability paired with Smith’s natural scoring ability could create plenty of fun storylines in the rookie season.
For LSU this now marks the fourth year in a row the Tigers have had a player taken in the NBA Draft. Eason is now the highest drafted LSU alum since Ben Simmons was selected with the first pick in 2015.
